Survival
by SLTheOneAndAwesome
Summary: Some Lombaxes managed to escape Tachyon. Except to survive, they had to remain in hiding. Discovery meant death. Withdrawl from the galaxy also means inability to learn when they could be free...
1. How it was all Lost

**A/N **_**Another**_** new story. Jesus H. Christ, I'm on a roll here! Well, with To Hell and Back almost over and the Future Re-Written trilogy boring the ever loving shit out of me, I decided to move on to another story.**

**Hurray!**

**Hopefully you'll enjoy. I tried to make it not suffer from the immense boringness that the beginnings of all my stories tend to have. I think that I overcompensated though and now I've got a beginning that tries to get you too attached to characters within a few thousand words. Huh.**

**Anyways, Ratchet and Clank and all related crap belongs to Insomniac. My characters are mine though.**

***

How it was all Lost

War is a mess. It tears lives apart, destroys their souls and has no sense of mercy. It feeds off of blood, screams and destruction. The excess is left to the survivors to make sure they suffer.

A Lombax held a hammer in his hand, standing defensively before another two of his kind. He had only just met them and yet he would not let anything happen to them, so long as he had strength in him.

There were no Drophyds in sight. He stepped out of the protection of cover and stared around, making sure it was safe to try and escape. All the destruction around him was horrifying. Buildings were crumbled to the ground, giant footprints evident among the debris. Dead bodies littered the streets, their horrified gazes stared at the Lombax with such a sense of finality, as though he would join them and share their glazed stares soon enough. The only thing to remind him he was alive was the smell of rubble burning and the black smoke stinging his eyes.

But there were no mechs. No Drophyds. No Tachyon. They must have left the area.

"Thank God." He sighed in relief. He waved to the other two, assuring them they were safe.

"This is all so awful." One of the other Lombaxes murmured as she caught a glimpse of what the first Lombax had just witnessed. She pressed the second Lombax, an infant child, closer to herself, as though to protect the youngest Lombax from what she and the other were forced to suffer through.

"At least it's over." The male Lombax stated, trying to raise the other's spirits.

"It will never be over. Not as long as we're here." The female muttered pessimistically. "Tachyon can come back anytime to sweep the city of survivors to make sure he can rid the galaxy of our kind."

"Well then, let's be sure to escape before that happens." The other suggested as positively as he could. He could see how hurt the other Lombax was and how it was affecting her. He wanted to help her, and the only way he could think to do so was by being positive.

"Do I even want to?" she asked, partially to herself and partially of him. "Why should I even bother living anymore? Look around! There's nothing left for us. Everything I loved and cared about is gone. Why should I even bother?" Tears stung her eyes. Her home was destroyed and her family had been killed. What was left for her?

The male Lombax pointed to the baby in her arms. "That is worth living for and you know it." He crossed his arms over his chest and exclaimed, "Of all the things you've lost, they can't be worth giving up what's left."

She nodded, knowing he was right. She held the child closer to herself, apologizing silently to the baby for the thoughts that had just burned their way through her mind.

"C'mon, we're finding a ship and blasting out of here." The male Lombax assured. He tightened his grip on the hammer in his hands, knowing it was his sole weapon to protect the others. He crept his way along the road, afraid that the smallest noise could alert the Drophyds of where they were, even if their foes were miles away.

"Where can we find one?" the female asked as she followed.

"In a house whose garage is still standing."

"How many can there be?"

"All we need is one."

The female nodded and continued to follow, trusting her ally to protect her.

Both kept their eyes peeled, searching for any sign of a ship they could use. She sighed, sure that they had searched the entire city without success. They had managed to find mangled fighter ships, but nothing they could fly in. She had begun to lose hope again and grew silent with thoughts of what she had lost.

She could see it all so clearly that she could have sworn that it was happening all over again. The footsteps had been loud, shaking the earth beneath the source's feet. She had rushed outside to see the cause of the commotion. They were giant mechs that were tearing apart buildings in the distance.

Suddenly a russet-furred Lombax stepped in front of her. "Go back inside." He commanded. "Take the kids and hide somewhere safe. I'll be there as soon as I can."

She listened to her husband without question. She ran into her home and dashed into her bedroom, scooping up the baby who was sleeping quietly in the crib inside. Another child ran into the room and cried, "Mommy, what's happening?"

"I don't know." She murmured honestly. "Come along, we're going to go play in the basement." She grabbed her child's hand and led her down the stairs, into the lower level. It was the safest place she could think to hide in at the time.

It seemed like hours had gone by as they hid, waiting for the sounds of heavy footsteps, weaponry and screaming to die down from above them. At first her older daughter had been frightened, insisting to huddle near her mother for protection. But her attention span soon snapped out the sounds of the battle above them and she began to play with her toys. But her short attention span kicked in a second time and she grew bored. She started complaining, saying how she wanted to go upstairs to grab better toys.

Her mother refused until she realized that the footsteps had quieted down above them. It should have been a sign that they were safe at the time. But she was so afraid of the consequences if she was wrong that she didn't want to take the risk. She would wait until her husband came to assure them it was safe.

More time passed and he didn't come. She turned to her child and insisted, "Stay here. I'll be right back."

"But it's scary down here alone." The young girl protested. Her mother bit her lip, deciding whether or not to bring her daughter upstairs when she didn't know if it was safe.

"Just stay here." She decided, rathering that her daughter by frightened for a few moments on her own than being brought into danger. The little girl nodded, accepting her mother's choice. The older Lombax pressed her infant child closer to herself and dashed up the stairs to see what had happened. She slowly crept outside and scanned her surroundings. It had been so horrible to see. She had felt tears dripping down her eyes as she saw her home completely destroyed. Her neighbours' bodies were littering the streets.

The worst sight had to have been the body that was closest to her. The strong build and maroon fur of her husband. She ran up to his corpse and pressed a hand against his cheek, trying to assure herself that he was still alive. Instead she felt the ice cold touch of his skin. She pulled her hand away, shocked by the chill she had received. Blood managed to cling to her hand. She cried out, allowing a shriek to escape from her lungs. He had been trying to protect her, their family and he had died for them. It had hit her so hard, shocked her so badly. It was impossible for her to believe. So much so that she could only sit there on the ground, with her baby in her arms, staring at what was left of her husband. He couldn't be gone, could he?

She turned to look at her house. She hadn't realized that it had been damaged when the Drophyds marched through. Laser blasts charred her home, walls were cracked or broken through. But thankfully it was still standing.

Vibrations broke out again and her gaze dodged away from her home to Drophyds arriving in the distance. They were coming back! She tried to get back to her feet, but she felt so weak with shock. Laser blasts escaped from the mechs, taking out what was still standing in the city.

As the Lombax finally stood up, about to run into the safety of her home, a laser blasted through it, strong enough to make the building begin to crumble.

"No!" her daughter was hidden in the basement. If the building fell in then the little girl would be trapped. She ran to her home, but another laser blast hit the crumbling dwelling, causing it to collapse. She cried out her daughter's name, praying that the child could hear her.

She pressed her other child to her chest with one hand and started digging with the other. She was so desperate not to lose her daughter that she couldn't even see how hopeless her attempts to save the girl were.

The whirr of another laser blast shot through the air, but she couldn't hear it over the blood rushing through her own ears. Something dove at her, pushing her away from the rubble of her home as the attack hit what was left of the house. The debris shot up in flames. She could only stare in horror as her house burned away whatever chance she had to save her eldest daughter.

"C'mon! Are you _waiting_ to get killed?" she turned to see her savior, a male Lombax with blue-gray fur around her age. He had risen to his feet, ready to go. "We've gotta hide or we'll never make it out of here."

So lost and afraid, she had followed him, knowing that because he was a Lombax, he would help her. He had kept her safe until now.

"Hey!" she was suddenly snapped out of her memories as the blue-gray furred Lombax shook her into reality. "I found a working ship! We're getting out of here!" he was smiling gently at her, trying to make her realize that they had succeeded and would be safe. He led her to the ship and dropped the hammer he was holding so he could help her climb in with her child. She was silent, her thoughts still focused on what she had lost. He shook his head, filled with sympathy for the other Lombax. He'd had nothing to lose, no family and no one to care for. He could not find the words to let her know how sorry he was for her.

He did nothing but shake his head again, realizing just how useless he was at helping her feel any better. He started up the ship and blasted off, heading into space, away from the horror they were forced to suffer through.

"Y'know, with all of this, I completely forgot something." He realized as he gazed over at the other Lombax.

"What?!"she asked, afraid that it was something they would need to return to the planet for.

"Your name. I forgot to even ask for your name." he explained, "Mine's Galen."

"Oh…" she breathed a sigh of relief as she noticed he was right. "I'm Moranno. She looked down at the baby in her arms and added, "And this is Raiken."

***

A young Lombax wandered through a lush forest. Her green eyes gazed at the blue sky above and the greenery before her. She loved wandering through the woods, admiring nature at its best. Her orange and white fur stood brightly among the trees and the Lombax proudly showed herself against the wild.

She ran through the wilderness, prepared for anything. Until she bumped into something larger than her, forcing her backward. It hadn't been a tree, it was much too soft. Besides the thing had moved in her way, and last she checked, trees didn't move.

She looked up into a pair of amber eyes locked directly on her. The unimpressed blue-gray furred face of a Lombax she recognized well. "Oh…" she muttered as she realized she had been caught, "Hi, Galen." She smiled sheepishly up at the elder Lombax, hoping that she wouldn't be punished.

"Don't you "Hi Galen" me." The male Lombax crossed his arms over his chest, clearly not amused. "You know it's dangerous to get too far from the hut." Galen had been with Moranno and her daughter, Raiken, for about eight years, thankfully managing to stay away from Tachyon. They had hidden in the forests on the outskirts of Tombli on planet Zanifar, knowing it was safe thanks to the Fongoids being unaggressive, but also providing little to no resources, requiring few visits from the Cragmite and even fewer searches for any potential Lombax survivors. That didn't mean that there couldn't be a visit once every so often from the Cragmite, or one of his underlings, which meant that keeping hidden was a must. Normally the Fongoids were very welcoming and many creatures throughout the galaxy were still loyal to the Lombaxes, despite Tachyon's propaganda, but you never knew who could want to turn them in for a few bolts from the bounty that the emperor had imposed.

Of course, trying to explain such things to an eight year old girl would never be simple.

"Raiken, come on back. You don't know who could be wandering around these forests." Galen insisted. Raiken had grown into a restless child, and one that was hard for the two older Lombaxes to keep tabs on. Ever since Raiken had learned to crawl, she had been wandering away from the safety of the other Lombaxes.

"You say that every time and I never find anyone else out here." Raiken pouted with complaint.

"Because you're lucky. Now let's head back." The gray-furred Lombax started walking away, expecting Raiken to follow after. Instead the young girl turned the other way and dashed, calling out, "I'll go if you can catch me!"

His amber eyes focused on to where the child was heading and dashed up to her as quickly as he could. He could not believe the persistence that one eight year old could have! Why couldn't she just listen to him instead of running off, causing trouble? But she was just as quick as Galen, dodging away from him whenever he was close enough to make a grab for her.

"I told you, only if you can-!" she heard a strange noise, almost like hissing air being over shadowed by a large motor. She stopped, giving Galen enough time to grab her arm tightly, making sure she didn't get the chance to run away again. The noise had distracted her, but only for a moment. She wanted to see what had caused such a sound!

She pulled away from Galen, who could only blink at how strong the girl was. Had he loosened his grip or was she just so able to break free from him? She continued running, towards where she had heard the noise from and noticed a large drop ship in the distance. Galen's eyes widened in horror.

The symbol of the Imperial Army, Tachyon's army, was stamped proudly on the side of the ship. The Cragmite was here, and they were running straight towards his ship.

"Raiken!!!" he shouted at the child. "Come back! _Now_!!"

But she didn't hear the serious edge to his voice, only the sound of a challenge, so she kept heading to the ship, knowing that Galen wouldn't catch up to her.

Adrenaline and fear pushed the gray-furred Lombax to lunge at Raiken and tackle her to the ground, pinning her down so that his greater weight kept her on the ground. There was no way he would let Tachyon discover them, they had survived for so long! He would not lose it all because of one stubborn brat! He glared down at her, panting from the effort of trying to catch up with her. He bent his head, hissing in her ear, "You and I are going back home. _Now_. You try and run away again and I won't be as nice when I try to catch you."

The heavy glare in his eyes and the threat were enough to frighten the girl. She nodded gently, letting the older Lombax know that she was going to cooperate. She didn't know that Galen could get so mean!

"Good." He got up off of her and helped her to her feet, holding on tightly to her hand. He started running, wanting to get back to safety as soon as possible. Raiken ran alongside him, forced to by the tight grip he had on her hand. He only hoped that they could get back before the Imperial Army gained suspicions.

Little did the two Lombaxes know that through the trees, a Drophyd's buggy eyes managed to catch the sight of their tails breaking into the cover of the trees and slipping away towards their safety.

***

The next day, Raiken didn't dare head to the woods. Galen's threats had been enough to frighten her the other day, and she wasn't going to be jumped on and tossed to the ground again. And when she had tried to gain sympathy from her mother she only received scolding, telling her _she_ was wrong. For what? _Playing_?

Instead she sat on the floor of the small hut that the three Lombaxes had made their home, bored for the life of her. She didn't even dare leave for fear of being yelled at and lectured again.

Her mother was running around busily in and out of the hut, while Galen was tinkering with the engine of the ship that they had, and yet never used. That had always bothered the youngest Lombax. Why have a ship when her family never even left a few meter's radius away from their home? And why bother fixing the ship's engine when they were never going to use it?

Suddenly, through the thin walls of her home, she heard the same noise as the other day when she was in the woods, but this time it was louder and Galen seemed to hear it too. "Stay here." He ordered. He left the hut while Raiken got to her feet, wondering whether to disobey him or not. She was still upset about the severity of how Galen had treated her yesterday and almost wanted to spite him. At the same time she didn't want him to act out on his threat. She decided to wait inside.

Galen walked outside and saw that Tachyon's drop ship had landed in the middle of the forest they were hidden in, completely toppling over trees without any care for them. He was so close to their home. Had he been looking for them? Tachyon never came back to Zanifar two days in a row. He rarely even came in person, usually just sending a minion to deal with the diplomatic arrangements for him. But out of the large ship, Galen could see the throne of the Cragmite.

There was no doubt in his mind. Someone had seen him or Raiken the other day. Tachyon had discovered them.

Moranno ran over to him, frightened. He could see that she was thinking back to the attack on Fastoon. To when half her family had been killed by this monster. He could easily guess the thoughts flooding her mind. This time, the Cragmite was going to finish the job.

"What do we do?" she asked fearfully.

"Get back to the hut. And hide." Was the only answer that the gray-furred Lombax could grant. He had no clue what they could do. None of them could fight and Tachyon was too close for them to try to escape, even with the ship. He would just tail them throughout the entire galaxy. They were trapped.

Moranno was shaking beside him and he had to take her hand to get her to run into their home.

Raiken looked up at the frightened faces of the older Lombaxes and asked, loudly, "What's going on?"

"Shh. No talking. Just be quiet." Galen commanded. He prayed that, for once in her life, the child would listen to him. Perhaps Tachyon hadn't seen them. Maybe he wouldn't find the hut, maybe-

"Ah, little Lombaxes hiding with their tails between their legs." the Cragmite's high pitched voice was loud as approached the hut. Galen growled as he realized that the monster was taunting the Lombaxes. "These pathetic creatures never change, do they?"

Raiken's tail did sweep between her legs, she was so frightened by the booming voice. Galen had been right, people did come to these forests. And finally she got to see one. Little did she know the first stranger she'd ever meet was one that he wanted her dead.

The roof of the hut was suddenly knocked off and the female Lombaxes screamed, frightened. Galen only glared through the falling debris up at Tachyon. "_Crap_." He growled as the emperor stared down at them from his seat in his mechanical throne.

"Look at them, cowering in fear. Such a disgrace these creatures are. I'll be glad to rid this planet of them." Tachyon grinned evilly at them.

Raiken hid behind her mother's leg, staring up at the Cragmite's giant mech in utter terror. Had this been one of the people Galen had always warned her to stay hidden from? She looked up at the gray-furred Lombax and saw the look of pure dread on his face.

He knew that there was no way they could escape from Tachyon. He looked at Moranno, then down to where Raiken was giving him a desperate look. He had managed to keep them safe then, eight years ago when the emperor had destroyed Fastoon. He had kept them hidden until now, making sure the Cragmite didn't know about them. Now they had been discovered.

Now they were going to die. There was no way for him to protect them this time.

One of the legs of the mech reared back and Galen forced the two female Lombaxes out of the way as it swung forward, barely missing the three. The only one who'd received any damage was Galen, who had a nick in his back from the sharp metal.

The whirr of a laser charging made Galen turn to see Drophyds had arrived to help Tachyon kill them. He moved his way over to his worktable where the engine he had been tinkering with now sat. He picked up a hammer and tossed it at one of the Drophyds, smacking the encasing for the fish-like creature's body. The glass cracked and the Drophyd fell out onto the floor, wreathing uselessly out of water. The mechanical body tottered over on top of the creature. Galen smirked, amused by the Drophyd's death. Use a machine to get stronger, only to get squished under it.

He then heard a whine of a laser and noticed that another Drophyd was charging an attack and had it aimed at Moranno and Raiken. He grabbed a wrench and tossed it at the Drophyd, missing and allowing the mech to fire its laser.

Moranno ducked down, wrapping her body around her daughter to protect her. Galen dashed as quickly as he could in front of the two females, taking the blast for them. He crumpled over as the laser hit his chest. He pressed a hand to his torso, feeling the injury. Blood matted into his gloves. He could no longer hold himself up, falling to him knees. But even they gave way, forcing him to fall forward, unable to get up.

Moranno blinked in horror, realizing she had just lost someone else important to her. She had relived the attack on Fastoon over and over again, thinking of ways she could have saved her husband and daughter. But now it wasn't just her imagination. It _was_ happening again. She had lost someone else equally important to her.

The man who had saved her life, and cared for her just as much as the husband she had loved. "Galen!!" she cried, tears pouring from her eyes as she let go of Raiken and ran to the male Lombax.

His amber eyes locked on hers. They were brighter than ever as they stared into the depths of her own eyes. "I guess we were lucky to make it this far." He smiled at her. He let out a shudder of pain as he muttered. "I'll see you on the other side." His eyes shut and his body grew limp.

"Galen! Galen!! You're not going anywhere! Galen!!!" she shook him fiercely, trying to wake him up, but to no avail. He was gone. Moranno blinked up at Tachyon, realizing that she was soon to follow. She turned to Raiken, saw the poor girl with nothing but fear in her eyes. Fear that Moranno had tried to protect her from for years. She had failed. Everyone that Moranno had ever cared for had died, and she was always useless to defend them.

She threw herself onto Galen's body, weeping quietly to herself. "I need you Galen. I would have never survived Fastoon without you, and there's no way Raiken and I are going to make it now." She took a deep breath, trying to compose herself as she realized how soon her end was. "Please. I need you. Or at least take me with you."

"Would you like to join him?" Tachyon mocked, looking down at her with a malicious smile on his face. "I can make it possible." Moranno saw the Drophyds moving forward. Whether she failed now or not, she needed to protect her daughter from this monster and his minions to the best of her abilities.

She picked up one of Galen's tools and charged at the Drophyds, swinging the tool like a weapon. She struck the clawed hands of one Drophyd, snapping the metal. The broken hand was sharp, like a broken bottle. The female Lombax dodged away, not noticing the whine of an energy blast charging. She turned quickly to see Tachyon with a laser from his mech pointed directly at her.

She didn't have time to scream, time to run or time to protect her daughter. Her eyes widened as she was engulfed by the blast of energy and knocked to the ground, dead.

Raiken was alone, staring at the dead bodies of the older Lombaxes, wondering if she would meet the same fate. She pressed herself up against the nearest wall of her home and cringed in fear before Tachyon.

The Cragmite had a smug grin on his face, clearly enjoying watching the girl suffer. She could only whimper, unable to defend herself from the emperor or his forces.

The Drophd mechs made their way toward her, each eager to fulfill his master's commands. Raiken didn't scream, she didn't try to run, nor did she cry. She just stared at the creatures who held her fate in their hands and hoped that any of them had a sense of compassion. But then her eyes locked on Tachyon's and she saw the hate in them. His gaze was overflowing with the most cruel emotions she could imagine. She knew that sympathy would not be won tonight.

The Drophyd with the broken claw came forward and held the broken mechanical appendage to her chest, barely piercing it. The young Lombax cried out in pain as she felt the blood well from the injury. The Drophyd ran its hand up to her neck and tightened his grip around her throat, intending to suffocate her.

Raiken could feel her lungs screaming as she kicked at the Drophyd, wanting it to let her go so she could breathe. She felt the loss of blood making her lighter, her head growing dizzy. Eventually her kicking got slower, she couldn't keep her eyes open any longer. The little Lombax opened her mouth in a silent wail before falling unconscious in the Drophyd's grip.

***

**A/N Huh. I just realized that in my stories I have a nasty habit of killing off adults brutally and making children suffer. It's kinda funny how that works XDD**

**No, I totally don't have issues. I dunno what you're talking about!**


	2. Living Scars

**A/N Hey, lookie!! I actually updated this thing! It's probably going to be a little slow for now, the plot is primed and polished yet. :shrug:**

**Anyways, Ratchet and Clank and all related characters are Insomniac's. If they aren't Insomniac's they are probably mine.**

***

Living Scars

Everything was fuzzy when she opened her green eyes. She let out a cough, but it stung as it escaped through her throat. Where was she? What had happened?

"Ah, I see you're finally awake." A strange voice commented. She tried to figure out where it came from, but her head hurt too much to focus. However, the fact that the voice was unfamiliar frightened her enough. She wasn't used to voices that didn't belong to her parents.

"It's alright. We are helping you." The voice made a strange noise as he finished his sentence. Once she would have been curious. Now she was just frightened.

She felt a stinging pain running from the left side of her chest up to her neck. She pressed the stinging to feel some kind of cloth wrapped tightly to her body. What had happened? Where were her parents?

"You are lucky you survived!" the noise again as the voice finished its sentence. "I don't know of any who could live through an encounter with Tachyon!"

"Tach-" she tried to speak, but her throat felt dry. Who was Tachyon? What encounter? She couldn't remember a thing. All she could feel was the stinging in her chest and the dryness in her throat. "Water?" she tried, hoping the request would fall on open ears.

"Of course. Just a moment." Footsteps started to fade away. She looked around, trying to get a better grip of her surroundings. The pain in her head was starting to fade and things were starting to look less fuzzy. She knew she wasn't home, but she was in a similar styled hut. There was too much sun beaming in through holes that were meant to be windows. In the forest the sun was never permitted into her home.

Then where was she? Why was she here? Galen never let her leave the hut, not unless he or her mother were by her side. And even then, he wouldn't let her near strangers. He didn't trust anyone. Had she been kidnapped? What about her parents? What had happened to them?

The footsteps returned and she could see a blurry shape holding something to her mouth. Liquid poured into her throat and she realized it was the water she had requested. She drank the entire cup and thanked whoever had brought it.

She tried to sit up, now that her throat was no longer aching from its dryness. She had to hold her chest, which shot in pain as she moved into an upright position. She caught her breath, surprised by how much it hurt to try and sit up. Why was her chest aching like this? But as she sat up, she realized why everything had been so blurry when she had been lying down. She had been staring straight into an open skylight.

She blinked a few times and her eyes adjusted, her vision no longer blurry. She could see strange blue, black and purple skinned creatures staring at her. They had ears that curled back and looked like horns, big eyes and big noses. Both were gazing at her, eyes filled with concern. She backed away, despite the pain, surprised to see these strange creatures. She'd have been less frightened if her parents had been there as well.

Her parents…

Memories and realization swept over her as she grasped at what had happened.

They were dead now…

She looked up at the creatures. Galen had always warned her about going into the forest and of strangers who could be lurking there. She had run to a spaceship without a care in the world, must have been seen. And then the very strangers Galen had warned her about had come to her home, had killed her parents and tried to kill her. The little purple one in the giant mech, the one who had been commanding the others, had stared at her with such hate.

_She_ was the reason her parents were dead. Had she listened to Galen and stayed hidden, had she not run to the ship when it arrived, then they wouldn't have ever come after her parents. But why was she still alive? She could remember the Drophyd choking the life out of her.

"What… what happened?" she managed to ask. How was it that she had survived?

"We, in the village, had heard the commotion of Tachyon's ship, and when he landed in the middle of the forest, we knew he must have discovered something there. After his ship left we found you and two other Lombaxes. We had thought you were all dead, so we had brought you all before the village chief for burial. But then the Fongoid holding your body heard you breathe, so we brought you here to resuscitate you." One of the creatures –Fongoids?- explained. She didn't make the same noise the other had at the end of their sentence.

"How?" the Lombax asked, blinking at the pair of Fongoids who had helped revive her. "I felt myself dying."

"You should be glad you are alright!" the male Fongoid exclaimed, making the annoying noise as he finished his sentence. Was it a tick or something? "I have not heard of anyone, especially one as young as you, who has ever survived an encounter with Tachyon!"

She let out a small sniffle as she realized she was about to cry. She brought a hand to her face, trying to stop herself from tearing up in front of the strangers. Her parents were gone, it was entirely her fault, and for whatever reason she was still alive. Eight years old and forced to live without them. "They… they were killed? Did they start breathing later too? Or was it just me?" her voice shook as she asked.

"I'm sorry. The other two Lombaxes didn't make it." The female Fongoid answered, placing a comforting hand on the young Lombax's knee. She pulled away from the alien, and broke down into tears.

"They're gone. And it's all my fault! Why didn't I just listen to Galen? _Why_? This would have never happened if I hadn't been a stupid little kid. I was the reason he found us. I didn't even know we were supposed to be hiding! I-" her words were overwhelmed by her sobs and she choked on them in every attempt to speak. How could she ever live, knowing that she had been the reason that the only two people she ever knew had died? She could feel her responsibility for their discovery and demise situating itself like a weight on her shoulders, forcing her to hold it for eternity. Forcing her to realize what she had done.

"Now, now. You can't blame yourself for what happened. That's no way to live." The female Fongoid tried to assure her, but the Lombax couldn't respond through her tears.

She bit her lip to prevent herself from crying further or from answering the Fongoids' questions. For all she knew, she could trust these creatures less than the one who had attacked her family, less than Tachyon. She didn't want to be here anymore. She almost wished that she had been killed along with her parents, so that she wouldn't feel so alone and distrusting.

Once, only a few days ago, she would have been running around out in the forest, without a care in the world. Now she just wanted to hide under this blanket until the world came crashing down, until she finally met the same fate as her parents had. But she knew that wouldn't be for a while. Especially if Tachyon was sure she was dead.

The Fongoids could only blink at her, wondering if there was something they could do to help her through her obvious sadness. But there was nothing they could say, no words that would ease the pain that she was feeling right now. The female rose to her feet, signaled to the male that he should do the same and stated, "Perhaps you should go back to sleep. If you need anything, feel free to ask."

There was one question on her mind. "When you realized I was alive, why didn't you give me over to him? To Tachyon? I'm sure he would have given you something for me."

"Enough innocent people are killed by the emperor daily. We don't need to give up more lives for some idiotic bounty. This is a peaceful planet and we intend to keep it that way. Without rubbing the blood of the innocent on our hands." They explained as they left her bedside, leaving her alone.

She closed her eyes to try and sleep. Ignoring the pain running through her chest and throat. But whenever she felt herself drifting into slumber, Raiken could see her parents' death playing over and over in her mind.

***

Raiken was on her feet, a bag slung over her shoulder and dressed in Fongoid attire, her old clothes having been soaked in blood when Tachyon had attacked. She was standing outside the Fongoid village, staring at the mountain in the distance, where the forest and her home were situated. She let out a sigh as she stared at where her home was. It had taken her weeks to recover, but she had guessed that it was probably because she didn't really want to, impeding her healing process. But now, the couple who had cared for her had deemed her in good enough health to no longer remain bedridden. The only reminder of what had happened to her being the series of scars that ran from her neck to the left side of chest, always visible no matter how hard she tried to hide the scars that now stained her throat.

The Fongoids had offered her sanctuary, promising to hide her from Tachyon, which they had seen as easy, since the Cragmite already thought she was dead. But she couldn't. She had hurt enough people when she had been discovered last time. She wasn't going to get these Fongoids hurt if she were ever caught. Enough people had already died for her sake, and she wasn't ready to see anymore join them. Her young mind had been traumatized enough as it was.

Besides, no matter how well the Fongoids treated her, a niggling sense of doubt remained in the back of her mind, telling her that the minute she turned away from these creatures they would stab her in the back. They would turn her in to Tachyon.

Her parents had had the right idea before they died. They had managed to keep her hidden for eight years thanks to it, and would have kept her hidden for many more, had she not led Tachyon straight to them. She wanted to go back to her hut, which had been repaired thanks to the Fongoids' insistence, and simply spend the rest of her life in hiding.

So she had rejected their offer, knowing she could trust herself more than the other creatures. Besides, if Tachyon ever thought she might still be alive and wanted to find her, he would never think that she was hiding in the same place he had found her the first time. That would be ridiculous. And it would also make it her safest place to stay hidden.

She just hoped she could survive the memories that were plastered on every wall.

It was still hard to believe that her parents were dead. No matter how hard she told herself, the idea never seemed to stay in her head. She had even seen the graves that the Fongoids had made for her poor parents, had seen where they now rested. Even then, she still went on hoping that they would appear by her side at any moment.

Returning home to live in her old dwelling without them would probably knock the realization in.

It was so hard to believe how much she, and her life, had changed in a matter of weeks. Before she didn't even know who Tachyon was, and had no care in the world. One attack, and two murders later, Raiken found herself being forced to grow up. The mere idea of frolicking in the woods like she used to repulsed her, and not only because it was what had resulted in this situation. The mere idea of looking at the beauty of the forest and the blueness of the azure sky just seemed to mock her. To show her that the rest of the world was capable of moving. That she was the only one trapped for reasons she couldn't really understand.

The Fongoids had tried to explain why Tachyon had attacked her family, but she still didn't understand. Apparently the Cragmite was on a self-imposed mission to exterminate the universe of Lombaxes. Why? Because he was a Cragmite, and the Cragmites had been vaporized by the Lombaxes. So as the last Cragmite in the universe, he wanted revenge for his fallen race.

But Raiken just could not get it. Her parents didn't care about Cragmites, as far as she could tell. All she knew was that they had feared Tachyon, but that was because he had attacked them before, and that was the reason they were even here on Zanifar. Why did Tachyon have anything against a family of Lombaxes who cared as much about the Cragmites as they did about any other race in the galaxy?

The Fongoids had tried to explain that revenge can tamper with the mind, that rationality is usually not even a consideration, and that Cragmites themselves weren't known for being the most logical race. Tachyon didn't care if the Lombaxes he killed personally had anything against Cragmites or not. He just wanted all the Lombaxes dead because a handful of them had wiped out his people.

And that was why Tachyon had wanted her parents and herself dead. Because they were Lombaxes. Nothing more, nothing less. In Tachyon's eyes, Lombaxes didn't deserve to live, just like in the Lombaxes eyes, the Cragmites hadn't.

It was a vicious cycle. Lombaxes kill Cragmites. Cragmite kills Lombaxes. A Lombax who was in hiding now could gain the strength to fight against Tachyon and try to overthrow him. Perhaps even succeed. Lombax kills Cragmite. It would keep going until both species were exterminated. Couldn't the rest of the galaxy intervene?

Apparently not because, as Raiken had learned, the Cragmites and Lombaxes were two of the strongest races in Polaris. To try to intervene between the two would completely fail to resolve anything.

Raiken just shook her head. It was a stupid fight that would never end because there was no sense or any kind of control in the situation. It was two species, going head to head, neither fighting rationally and both so sure of themselves, that they don't bother to watch out for the other. It was sad that this was how Polaris was forced to function now. On the tides of a stupid war between two stupid races.

It shamed Raiken to be in any part of it. Even if she was just born into one of the species. Even if she wasn't fighting the battle herself.

The young Lombax sighed, leaving her sanctuary of the past few weeks to return to her old world, alone. She may have recovered physically. But emotionally, she knew the battle would only just begin. She stroked the scars on her neck, from where they popped up over the collar of her tunic top. These were physical scars she that would have to bare, as a sign that she had survived and that she couldn't have saved the others with her. If the emotional pain would only begin when she returned home, then how long would it take for her emotional scars to heal?

The Fongoids had suggested that the scars that she had received from the Drophyd would never go away. Would the emotional scars always remain as well, a constant reminder of the family that she had destroyed? Would they always be there to taunt her, to remind her that she had lived, and that because of her, they had died?

***

**A/N I really DO fuck with little kids' minds a lot, huh. I mean, Raiken was a cute little kid and look at what I've done to her. I did the same thing to SD and Angela. God, I'm **_**awful**_** XDD**

**Anonymous Reviews:**

**Geinea Lombax: **Thank you! But don't say it's so good yet! It's only just started!

Yes, Tachyon is at it again. And he doesn't care that she's eight. He wanted to kill Ratchet and Angela and he was a baby and she was five, so...

So I'm not the only who noticed my morbid little tendencies. Huh.


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